On Whom The Pale Moon Gleams
by snogfairy
Summary: For as long as she could remember, Lucy had had the same recurring dream almost every night: She dreamt of a world of neverending darkness, where the only light to be found shone from a mysterious sleeping boy. But what if her dreams were no dreams at all? And what if the boy woke up? [NaLu Lightworld AU]
1. Chapter 1 - Into Darkness

This story is based on thequeen117(tumblr)'s great AU idea which she posted during nalu week.

Credit for the cover image goes to my lovely waifu fairy-mage(tumblr)! Check out her beautiful art! (I can't figure out how to put links into this text?)

I hope you'll enjoy! This is my first on-going fanfiction, actually.

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The shrill sound of an alarm clock ripped through the silence, and soon a tentative arm emerged from a mountain of blankets to blindly swat at it. The girl it belonged to groaned.

Yet another day she was not ready for.

Still, she would get up, get dressed, endure the silent breakfast with her father and go to school. As always. However, one thing was different today. She had finally decided. Soon, she would get out of here.

Graduation was just around the corner: she had written her final exams and was now simply biding her time until the end of the schoolyear. And as soon as she'd hold her school certificate in her hands, she would get out. She was of legal age, after all - no one could stop her. Not even her foster father.

Her brilliant scheme lifted her spirits, and she got up with new energy, swinging her legs over the bed's ledge and stretching her tired limbs as she stood up. Where she would go she did not know - but she would be free. Maybe she would even look for the boy from her dreams? She smiled benignly at the thought.

For as long as she could remember, she had had the same recurring dream almost every night:

It was dark where she was, and not the kind of darkness you experience when the lights go off. No, this darkness was all-consuming and solid, swallowing everything that dared to defy it. Or so she thought. As a kid, she had often woken crying, sobbing her fear into her pillow with no one to hear.

But then she had found the boy.

He had drifted past her one day, a faint glimmer in a neverending sea of darkness.

He was all light, and she had thought it very pretty. But when she had tried to tell him, she had not received a reaction. He could neither hear nor see her, it seemed. He never did. But from that day on, he had always reappeared (or was it she that was reappearing by his side?) , and without him knowing it, he had become her beacon of hope; the thing she always trusted to be there for her.

She shook her head, ridding herself of such thoughts. She was not a kid anymore, after all.

The door to her closet creaked slightly as she opened it and randomly selected her outfit for the day. She looked good in anything, after all. The mirror seemed to approve as it reflected her image back at her. Her blonde hair fell over her shoulders freely, except for the little side ponytail she had tied with her favourite ribbon. Her clothes were modest enough to please her father, but still showed off her curves enough to please _herself_. She couldn't resist winking at the pretty young girl smiling back at her - a little fun before school was allowed, right?

Especially since it had gotten so much duller ever since Lisanna…

Interrupting her train of thought once again, she moved to the desk with her schoolbag on it, the smile extinct on her face.

Yes, it was time to leave. There was nothing keeping her here anymore, after all.

It wasn't until much later in the day that the front door fell shut behind her and she quietly entered the living room, drained off of her earlier energy. Her father was already seated in his big armchair by the window, acknowledging her presence with a short nod and a distracted 'welcome home.' Then he focused his attention back on the newspaper in front of him. She had often wondered why he had taken her in as a child. It was still a riddle to her, but one she had long given up on solving.

Something weird happened, then. He put his newspaper down and looked up at her.

"So, Lucy. After graduation…" Her heart stopped. "…what do you intend to do?"

Despite her knowing that he could not possibly know anything about her plans, she felt incredibly guilty all of a sudden. Guilty and caught. What was she supposed to answer anyway? It wasn't like she had much of a choice. If he did not approve, she could not do it. And he approved of so little. And especially not writing.

"Well… I always thought you would like for me to take over your business…"

"Yes. Yes exactly. And - something else. It would make me very happy to see you in a relationship soon. You are a young woman now, after all. And as it happens, I know someone who would love to meet you."

She opened her mouth, and then closed it again.

"Yes." Was all she could manage. After that, Lucy could not remember much. She had nodded and said what he had wanted to hear. And then she had left.

Her room felt constricted and strangely foreign as she sank down on her bed. And here she had been thinking that the day could not get any worse. Her breath was shaking as she pressed it out between her lips, desperately trying to keep in the sobs that dared to escape her. School had been horrible. She felt Lisanna's absence everyday, and it never hurt any less. It was two weeks now. Only two weeks since they had buried her best friend.

Her face made contact with the soft fabric of her pillow as the tears began to fall. She kicked her shoes off before crawling under the sheets, not bothering to undress. Her body shook as she silently cried herself to sleep, until finally, she felt herself being swept away by a familiar darkness.

When she opened her eyes, it only got darker.

Everywhere around her, nothingness stretched out endlessly, making her lose any sense of direction. But as it goes with dreams, she didn't find it strange or unnatural: it was as it was. She faintly felt like she was supposed to be sad about something, but quickly brushed off the feeling.  
>Her eyes travelled around in the darkness, unable to detect anything. Lucy wasn't sure what she was looking for, or if there was anything to look for at all, but she wasn't scared of the infinite blackness all around her, knowing for certain that no harm would come to her. Something would appear, she felt it in her bones. Eventhough it was pitch black, she felt herself moving around in the darkness, traveling far distances faster than she deemed possible, appearing and disappearing in different places over and over. How, or for how long, she did not know.<p>

Finally, something disrupted her aimless movements. Squinting her eyes, she could make out a faint glow in the distance, and a strange, almost desperate feeling took a hold of her. It was like a magnetic pull: she had to get there, as if all the natural forces of the world had united to descend unto her. There was no logic or reason behind her desire; only the simple and obvious certainty of having to go near that light, like a moth drawn to a flame. And so she did.

She blinked. And when she opened her eyes once again, the light burned into her retina, making stars dance behind her eyelids.

A boy was right in front of her. A boy of light.

And then she remembered.

It all came crashing in at once: years of returning to a world of obsulete darkness, years of abandonment, the loss of her friend, the feeling of helplessness against her fate. Suddenly, she craved to return to her previous state. Blissful ignorance.

But then she remembered more. The distinct feeling of hope when she looked at the sleeping boy in her dreams. All the times spent laughing with her best friend; times that most definitely had been precious and not wasted. Her plans to escape from the road that had been paved for her.

Taking a few deep breaths, she felt the wave of panic in her subside until it was no more than a puddle. Her eyes focused back on the boy, and before she knew it, Lucy caught herself admiring his features once again.

He looked almost serene as he drifted along, but his brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was experiencing an unpleasant dream. Still, with his closed eyes and open mouth, he resembled a young boy sleeping. He could not be a young boy though. From his features aswell as his rather muscular body, she guessed he looked around her age. It made her wonder, because ever since she had first seen him he had not changed one bit. Not only his age hadn't seemed to change, neither had his clothes. She felt a little indecent as she let her eyes travel along his body. Probably because he was only wearing a short-sleeved vest that left little of his upper body to the imagination - especially not his abs, which were very well-formed and toned, she had noted on many occasions. He also wore some kind of baggy pants, but what had always struck her odd was the long scarf wrapped around his neck. It seemed much to warm compared to the rest of his attire. Then again, did he even feel temperature? Was he even real?

The thoughts slipped from her like a wet piece of soap would slip from desperately clutching hands, and then they were gone. For some reason, she smiled as she observed him a little longer. Finally, she sighed, unable to understand anything - about this boy, about the real world, about what she was feeling. Fondly, her eyes locked onto the boy's face once more.

"At least I'll always have you, right?"

And then something changed.

She was not sure what it was. Her surroundings remained the same, she had not moved from her spot, and she felt the same as before. Except… She didn't.

She couldn't exactly pinpoint the feeling: it was as if up until now she had been unaware of something important. Something that she _thought _she had been, but only now that it had actually happened did she realize that her mind had been fooling her. She felt… awake.

And something else was different. It was… a weird tingling sensation, the ones you sometimes got when you knew you were alone, but couldn't help feeling as though someone was watching you from the corner of your eye. And then it hit her. It was the glimmering boy.

He was staring right at her.


	2. Chapter 2 - Light

Lucy's heart was beating frantically in her chest, pumping adrenaline through her veins at full speed. The boy was still staring. His eyes burned into her, and there was only one sentiment in them: hunger.

A shudder travelled down her spine. Before she could muster up the courage to say anything at all, he suddenly began moving; so fast that she didn't even have a chance to jump in surprise.

Only when his hands dug into her shoulders forcefully did her body snap out of its petrified state. She flinched, and a shocked gasp tumbled from her lips. His face was only inches from hers, and now she started to get scared, her instinct screaming at her to get away. He was looking at her like she was some kind of prey - and it was hunting season.

But then, after what had been mere fractions of a second, his expression changed - and all her fear was gone in a heartbeat. Curiosity shone in his wide eyes. Curiosity and confusion.

"Wait, you're not food."

_What?_ After all the years Lucy had spent hoping he would talk to her - dreaming up conversations, craving his words - this was what she got? His first words? _You're not food._

"Of course I'm not!"

"Whaddaya mean, of course? What else would I expect in here? Wait, that doesn't make sense either. " His voice sounded a little croaky, as if it had been out of practice for a long time - it probably had. He looked sort of cute as he furrowed his brows in confusion, she observed.

"You look really pale. Are you even… real? Or am I just starting to go mad?"

Stemming her hands onto her hips, she looked at him triumphantly. Now if there was one thing she was absolutely certain of, it was this.

"I'm as real as can be."

About everything else, she was not so sure. In fact, Lucy realized, she should be asking herself the same questions.

"Ok then."

"…ok? You believe me? Just like that?"

He shrugged his shoulders, and suddenly he seemed like a young boy again. "Well, I don't think I could come up with someone as weird as you, no matter how crazy I was."

Her mouth dropped open. "Hey!"

"So…" His expression turned serious then. "Did Makarov send you? Or did you get captured aswell?"

"W-what? Maka-who? Captured?! I don't understand anything! The only place I've ever been is -" She made a protruding gesture with her arm. "-this."

"But then… Who are you? And _how_ did you get here?"

She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

"I could ask you the same question. This is _my_ dream, after all."

"Your… dream?"

A little while later, the boy nodded, trying to process everything the blabbering girl in front of him had told him. He had sunken back into a sitting position, too tired and weak to stand up too long, especially not after using so much of his energy on getting to the girl. If she was not from this world, it might be better to not tell her too much about it, he pondered. She seemed nice, and he did not want to get her involved in things that would do her no good.

The girl was still going on and on. Now that she had started, she was like a waterfall, and had no desire to stop until she had gotten everything off of her chest, it seemed.

Still, he had listened patiently, a little tired maybe, but alert. Not like there was anything else to do. Also, he admitted to himself, she was rather intriguing. And there were quite a few mysteries surrounding her. The biggest, no doubt, was how in all the worlds she had gotten here. This was a high security prison into which no one had gotten in the last who knows how many centuries. Or out, for that matter. He knew - he had tried. But that had been a long time ago…

Realizing that those thoughts were going nowhere, he decided to focus on the present. This was the most fun he had had in ages, after all.

And then he grinned, his whole face lighting up - literally - as the corners of his mouth moved upwards. It made Lucy's heart flutter in anticipation of the unspoken promises it seemed to offer.

"I'm Natsu, by the way. What's your name?"

She finally smiled, then, grateful that he had interrupted her babble. "I'm Lu-" _Knock._

"You're…?" He raised a quizzical brow.

_Knock, knock._ She opened her mouth, but she was feeling dizzy all of a sudden, her eyes unable to focus on anything.

"Hey! What-"

And then he was gone. Everything was gone.

Lucy shot upright, making the blanket fall from her upper body and allowing cool, fresh air to carress her hot skin. Her chest was heaving, and droplets of sweat were slowly travelling down her cheeks.

Knock, knock. There it was again. Louder, this time; more urgent.

"Lucy?"

Oh. The door. Right. She was in her room. It had been another dream. She drowsily remembered blackness, the boy and…

And in an instant she was completely awake, her whole body tensing as the memories came flooding in. It had been different this time. They had talked. Excitement gripped her, but another knock on the door broke the delicate thread by which her thoughts had been dangling.

"Yes, sorry, I-I must have fallen asleep."

Now she noticed the burning in her eyes, the kind of uncomfortable pain you only got from crying your eyes out. With her left arm, she brushed over her eyelids and then clumsily got out of bed.

"Hurry up dear, dinner is ready. You don't want to keep your father waiting."

"Thankyou Spetto. I'm coming."

She was glad it had been their maid to notice her absence, and not her father himself. Silently, she thanked Spetto before making her way downstairs.

Lucy was absentminded during dinner, her mind wandering back to her strange dream over and over. It had felt so real, for a moment after waking she had really believed it to be reality. But it could impossibly be, reason told her. Still, a small part of her, the one that still believed in the fairy tales she had read as a kid, silently whispered of worlds unknown and adventures unlived. She tried to ignore it as best as she could, naturally.

Which, apparently, was not very well. Several times, she entirely missed her father's words, who was unusually talkative considering his great plans to marry her off to some bussinessman, she thought not without bitterness.

Lucy cleaned up every last crumb of the food on the pretty porcelain plate. A hunger inside her had reawakened, and she was all to eager to satisfy it. Finally, she was dismissed.

Her feet made light contact with the dark wood of the stairs as she sprinted upwards impatiently. How many times had she been told not to run up the stairs? It satisfied her every time she did.

As soon as she had entered her room, she launched herself onto the bed. She couldn't wait to see Natsu again.

He was only a figment of her imagination, she had to remind herself. A distraction dreamed up by her subconscious. She wondered what that might tell about herself.

Still, she did not even care. Real or not, those dreams had always given her hope, and now that she had finally achieved something in them, like hell she would back down. Maybe it was some kind of self therapy? The brain could do that, right?

Now that she thought about it, as far as she remembered, the human mind was unable to make up faces - so every face you dreamed about was one you had already seen somewhere at some point in time. Fascinating, really. A face like his must be impossible to forget, though. Still, she was sure that she had never seen a face quite like his, or she surely would have remembered it.

Maybe her subconscious could answer her question. Squeezing her eyes shut, Lucy decided to dream.

An hour later, she threw the blanket aside in frustration. No way she could sleep. She was wide awake, her body still rested from her earlier nap. So she got up, and automatically sat down at her desk. The pen she picked up felt heavy in her hands, punishing her for the many days it had spent unused. She felt guilty for not writing much lately, but her inspiration had seemed to have abandoned her. However, today she felt like she might finally try again. Determinedly, she brought the pen down on the empty sheet of paper.

Two hours later her head hit the desk with a thud, and she wearily glanced at the clock. Its hands confirmed her fears - it was much too late. Why did she either have to write nothing at all or a whole novel at once? She mentally slapped herself.

With her last bit of energy she lurched over to her bed, where she lazily slumped down and pulled the covers over her tired body.

This time, she immediately knew she was dreaming. She remembered everything - but suddenly doubts struck her. What if he would be the same as before? What if the boy - Natsu - would be sleeping again, and everything would go back to the way it had been?

Her fears were quickly scattered when she noticed him sitting close to her, crooking one eye open as if he had just now noticed her presence.

"Welcome back, Luigi."

"L- what?! My name's Lucy!"

"Ah, so that's what it is. I was just guessing." He lifted his shoulders in a display of how much he cared, and she glared at him.

"Still… Luigi… That's just…"

Natsu snorted, clutching his belly and pointing his finger at her as laughter shook him.

"Pfff! Your face…haha!"

Really, who was this guy? No manners, loud, cheeky - and positively lovable. She had taken a real liking to him real quick she realized, a different one than before, when he had been sleeping and without character.

So when his laughter died down and he smiled at her, she couldn't help but smile back, and so they sat for a moment, grinning at each other like two idiots.

So many questions to ask. They were swimming through Lucy's brain like a school of fish - as soon as she tried to focus on one, it was already gone and another had taken its place. So she randomly said the first thing that came to mind.

"So… why are you wearing a scarf?"

Great. It had to be the most stupid and useless one. She couldn't catch a break from mentally slapping herself today.

But when she noticed the expression on Natsu's face, she realized she must have hit a nerve.

For a moment, a sad and hurt expression had crossed his face, but then it had quickly lit up with fondness and pride.

"It's my dad's. He gave it to me."

His hand had automatically grabbed the fabric around his neck, and now he was looking kind of shocked, almost self-depreciating.

"I almost forgot…"

"Hey…" Nervously, she collected all the small bits of her courage she could find.

"…how long have you been here? And why?"

He eyed her quizzically, as it pondering something crucial. He looked as carefree as the first time they had spoken, but he clearly was holding back something now. They might not have known each other for long, but they immediately had slipped into a sort of comfortable and natural relationship. At least that was how she felt. And now he looked reluctant.

But when he talked, his reluctance seemed to melt away and he grinned that grin again - the one that made her heart flutter.

"You know, you're really nice actually. How about…"

A shrill and screeching sound interrupted what he was about to say.

She was not sure if there was anything in here that would qualify as ground, but if there was, then it was shaking. Along with everything else.

Lucy had never heard such a sound, not in all the years she had visited this world of darkness. It went through her like a blade, and she cringed at its very presence. Natsu growled.

"Shit." He closed his useless eyes, focusing on his other senses to determine the source of the sound. "They noticed."

"Who noticed? Noticed what? Us? You mean… there's people living here?"

He grimaced. "Noticed _you_. And I wouldn't exactly call them people."

Fear gripped her at his words, and she looked around nervously. Nothing but darkness around them, of course. Infinite.

"So…" She gulped. "I'm guessing they're not exactly friendly? What do we do?"

"You have to go, or they'll kill us both!"

"Th-they'll WHAT?!" she shrieked.

"Come on now, do what you always do! Disappear! Disperse! Whatever - You got in, so you can get out! They're close now!"

"No."

"What?" He turned around in disbelief, surprise and shock battling for dominance on his face.

"What about you?"

"Me? I can't get away. I don't have any energy left. Even if I did…" He grinned to combat her desperate expression. "Don't worry, I'll think of something."

Her body was shaking now, fists balled at her sides. He watched in utter amazement as she began glowing, her usually pale and barely visible silhouette gaining in form and brightness. When she looked up, she was angry, but there were tears swimming in her eyes: little drops of light that lit up her face.

"I won't let you!"

He came closer, invading her personal space like it was the most natural thing in the world. And it didn't make her feel half as uncomfortable as it probably should have. She wasn't sure what was going on with her body, but she knew that she could not leave him here alone, no matter what. He had always been there for her, and if now she had a chance to repay him she would gladly take it. How, she had no idea, but she chose to ignore that little detail for now.

There it was again. The hunger in his eyes.

"Your light. Can I… borrow some of your light?"

"Uh…" She swallowed nervously, but for reasons she could not really explain herself, she trusted Natsu like she had known him for ages. She had, in a way. It was like every fiber of her being was soothingly whispering to her, whispering 'no need to be afraid'. He looked like he had had an epiphany. And so she smiled relievedly through her tears, albeit a little nervous.

"…okay? But ho-"

Before she could finish her sentence, she lost all sense and reason - because his head dove low, and suddenly she felt his lips on hers.

His stare had been implying slightly perverted thoughts, but nothing had prepared her for this. There were no butterflies in her stomach. There was a herd of elephants, ancient and beautiful things that made her body tremble in delight as they marched through. Despite herself, she was about to kick him where she hoped it would hurt even an ethereal being of light, but then she felt a wave of fatigue wash over her, pulling her further and further away from her consciousness, until her eyes dropped closed.

It was him, she realized. He was feeding off of her. His lips moved against hers hungrily as he absorbed her light - and she let him. Oh, she let him.

There she was, in a world of eternal darkness that might just be a figment of her wildest imagination, about to be annihilated by dark forces while her life energy was being drained by a strange boy - and all she could think about was that this was her first kiss.

And then she woke up.


	3. Chapter 3 - færy

Note: the creature-names in this chapter are taken from actual mythology, but note that I've used the names, and the names only. The corresponding concepts do not apply.

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Her hand automatically flew to her alarm clock, but then Lucy realized it had not been beeping at all. Wait… was it the weekend? She had no idea. What she did know was that she wanted to stay in bed forever - it was just too cozy. Her mind was trying to tell her something through the haze of sleep still clouding it, but she had no desire to wake up just yet. She'd much rather go back to her dream. Boy, that one sure had been livid, more so than the others.

And so she turned to her side, snuggling closer into the warmth of her blanket. And then her nose brushed against something soft and very warm. Something that most definitely was not her pillow.

Her eyes snapped open, and she found herself face to face with a boy. In her bed. A boy whose nose was pressing against hers, and whose dark onyx eyes burned into her with curiosity. And then he grinned.

For a moment she lay petrified, but then she did what she had intended to do earlier: she brought her knee up and kicked him where it hurt (- _was he naked?_), before pushing him off the bed. He landed on the floor with a thud and a groan, and there he stayed, while she desperately tried to simultaneously calm her beating heart and figure out what the hell had happened.

"Who are you?!"

"I'm Natsu, of course. You really _are_ weird, you know."

A tuft of tousled pink hair reappeared at the side of her bed. Pink. Despite the situation, she bit her lip. But then her eyes travelled further down and the stifled laughter died on her lips. He was wearing a long, grey scarf with a pattern that closely resembled dragon's scales - but apart from that, he really _was_ naked. Heat flushed her face and she covered it with both her hands.

"Wha- oh. Guess I didn't have enough power to get everything over. But the important parts made it, heh."

Which caused her to squeak in embarrassment. When he realized just how she had interpreted his statement, he laughed, but then his face became serious.

"Thanks, by the way. You really saved my ass back there."

Finally, she dared to peek at him from between her fingers.

"You're welcome. And now put on some clothes!"

She was completely overwhelmed. So she did what any overwhelmed person in her situation would do: she chose to entirely ignore the fact that apparently a boy she had been dreaming about for years had suddenly materialized in her bed - naked and real.

First things first. Clothes.

She did not have any boy's clothes. That realization did it. Her hands flew up to her head, tugging at fistfuls of hair as she experienced a mild breakdown.

"This - what - eehh - clothes! Clothes!"

Abruptly, she stopped her senseless babbling and jumped out of bed as if a swarm of wasps was after her.

Quickly, she scurried past him, eyes sternly focused on her destination. When she safely had made it to the closet, she randomly pulled out various clothes which she flung over her shoulder, not paying the least bit of attention about what she was throwing at him.

"Here, put some of those on!"

"Uh…are you sure-"

"Put. Them. On."

She could hear him mumbling something about colours and fashion disasters while he seemed to struggle with her clothes, but she didn't dare turn around. Her hands were still balled into fists while she eyed the contents of her closet as if they were the most interesting things she had ever laid eyes on. Finally, she could hear the snapping sound of a waistband against skin, and then it got quiet.

"You're safe now."

Ignoring the amusement in his tone, she turned around - and snorted.

He was wiggling his eyebrows at her playfully, but that was not the source of her sudden change of mood. She only had eyes for his outfit.

A tight, pink t-shirt with a cut most definitely not suited for his body covered his torso. Or rather, revealed. The generous neckline showed off quite a portion of his chest; the letters decorating its front only formed the word 'heartkreuz' if you knew there was such a brand. Even then, a lot of fantasy would have been needed. The shirt's hem barely reached his belly button. Instead, it revealed his defined loins, which were only covered again much lower by a pair of short red sweatpants. Which were short enough on her body. Now the word short probably needed a new definition. At least they still were rather loose.

"You have a problem with the colour pink?" He shot her a challenging look.

Lucy was still trying to calm her meanwhile aching stomach, but managed to get out some words inbetween her giggles. "Well, since they're my clothes, I'd say I obviously don't. Good choice, by the way - that's my favourite shirt."

He grinned triumphantly. She could get used to that grin. It lit up his whole face even now that he was not made of light, stretching from one ear to the other as if he did not have a care in the world.

He probably didn't. Not in this one, at least. Once again, Lucy wondered if she might have gone mad, and how in the world she could be so calm. And then she decided to be done with that thought. She was not mad, and he _was_ real. Simple as that. Now that she had made up her mind about this small but powerful matter, she felt a lot better. So she grinned back at him.

And then she suddenly remembered just how he had gotten here. How he had 'borrowed her light'. Her cheeks turned a flaming red.

It had not been a kiss. She repeated this in her head a few more times, hoping that she could somehow convince herself. He had simply taken her light for vital purposes. Maybe he didn't even know what a kiss was. He wasn't even human, probably. What was he? And then another urgent question popped into her mind.

"What were those things? The ones in the darkness?"

His eyes lost some of their glow while she spoke. "They _are_ the darkness. Well, kind of. They're part of it, but most of the time they take on body-like shapes. We don't call them the darkness, though. We call them the fear dearc."

"And they… held you captive? Why?"

His face darkened.

"Because we lost a battle, and they caught me. I might have been a little reckless." He seemed to flinch at the memory, but he did not look regretful. "I was sure he was there somewhere…"

"…he?"

"My father." He paused. "Igneel. They took him when I was still a kid. But I know he's still alive. He has to be."

Sadness and understanding had filled Lucy's eyes while she had been listening. There were still so many questions she wanted to ask. She looked at her alarm clock. 3pm. Oh dear. It didn't surprise her that nobody had woken her up. The staff had the weekends off, and her father was barely ever home, always busy with appointments and bussiness meals and whatever else he did. Suddenly she realized she was starving. Her stomach had to stay patient a little while longer, though. Natsu was looking really down, and she didn't want to leave him alone like this.

"He's the one who gave you the scarf, right? When did he disappear?"

She had spoken carefully; softly, but when he looked back up at her, the sadness in his eyes had been replaced with determination.

"77 years ago. No, wait. That was before they took me. Oh, but that's nothing though! I'll definitely find him! He's strong, you know."

When Lucy did not respond, he examined her more closely. For some reason, she looked entirely flabbergasted.

"77 years." she finally breathed, and then stared at him big-eyed. "Natsu, how old are you?"

"Well…" He looked rather surprised. "I don't know. Damn, those prisons really get to you. You lose your sense for pretty much everything. You even start to forget things…" It seemed to take him a moment to remember. "I was 194 when they took me, that much I know."

So all these years she had escaped into her dreams, she had escaped into a prison? How ironic.

The fact that he was older than any human could ever be was hard to grasp, so she pushed it to the back of her mind for now. He looked like he was around 20, and so that's how her mind perceived him, no matter what she tried to tell it.

Still, now that he was real, the questions in the back of her mind had come back full force, whispering to her with an urgency that had not been there before - when she still had thought he was nothing but a dream.

"So, if they're the evil ones; the ones that locked you up for… all this time - then what are you? You look human now, but before, you were… glowing, kind of. Like you were made of light."

"Me?" He looked at her, pride shining in his eyes. "I'm a Færy!"

"What."

"Huh?" He examined her bewildered face. "You look like you've heard that before. Have you? That's awesome! Ha!"

"A… fairy?" At this point, she didn't even doubt anything anymore. Though there certainly were some discrepancies between the faeries from her childhood books and him. She almost laughed. "Aren't you supposed to wear dresses and sparkle? And to have wings and tails?"

He raised a brow in amusement. "Don't be ridiculous! We don't have tails. Wings, well, sometimes."

"Eeh?" Her head was spinning with new information, and suddenly all she could think about were tiny faeries with pink hair who threw pixie dust around while laughing at her. She crouched onto the floor next to her bookshelf, where she found what she was looking for after a moment of observation. She pulled out a thin, dust-covered book and opened it, holding it in front of Natsu.

"Like this?"

Natsu leaned in closer and furrowed his brows.

"What the hell's that supposed to be?"

"A fairy, obviously! Tinkerbell, to be exact. Not like I expect you to know her." She paused. "You don't, do you?"

His shoulders shook silently as he tried to hold back his laughter.

"I don't think your faeries are the same as us. You have imposters like this in your world? They don't look strong at all!"

"What? No, faeries don't exist, they're just children's stories. Wait. No, apparently they're not. Who knows anymore? And of course they don't have to be strong, they are cute little things that make you fly with pixie dust!"

"Yup, definitely not us." He crossed his arms over his broad chest.

"So, what are you then? I want answers!"

"I'm… hungry."

"Whaaat? How can you think of food at a time like this?"

Her stomach betrayed her words.

He chuckled as he watched her whole head turn red. "Yeah, how can I?"

"Shut up." She tried to glare at him, but ended up laughing somehow. "Ok, you wait here and I'll get us something to eat." When she was halfway at the door, she turned around once more. "Don't leave the room!"

"Aye, Sir!" His hand flew to his forehead in a salute, and Lucy rolled her eyes before closing the door behind herself.

Eventhough she was sure there was no one home, she was a little wary when she walked down the stairs. She peeked into the living room on her way to the kitchen, but it was indeed empty.

"Hello?"

No answer. She sighed in relief.

The kitchen was big, and so was the fridge, but the latter was rather empty because the kitchen help had not yet bought the groceries for next week. Lucy eyed the contents critically.

A sandwich would have to suffice. She grabbed some bread, butter, ham and cheese and got to work. While preparing the sandwich for Natsu, she couldn't help but nibble on her own already. Her stomach left her no choice. She sighed happily when the last crumb had made it down her throat.

Natsu must be feeling just as hungry, if not more, she realized. Now she felt a little guilty for taking so much time.

And so she jogged back up the stairs, sandwich in one hand and a bottle of water in the other. With her elbow, she managed to push down the doorhandle, and then the door swung open - and she froze solid.

There he was, in the middle of her room. Doing pushups. He had gotten rid of her t-shirt and was now only wearing her sweatpants, which finally got the chance to live up to their name. His body was glistening in sweat as his muscles moved, bringing him closer to the ground and up again. For a moment all she could do was stare at his back, but then she regained her senses and started yelling.

"Kya! What do you think you're doing?!"

"Oh, hey Lucy!" With ease he lifted one hand to wave at her, all the while continuing his workout. Then he saw the sandwich. He sniffed.

"What's that?"

Eyes still fixed on the piece of bread in her hand, he sat up and crossed his legs, hands resting loosely in his lap.

His lack of a reaction to her yelling had taken the wind out of her sails, and she simply dropped to the ground in front of him.

"That's, uh, food?"

She stretched out her hand, and he took the 'food' from her eagerly. His stomach growled. He took a big bite, and while he was chewing his eyes grew wide.

"Diz… iz zo good!"

Lucy watched him gobble up the whole thing in a matter of seconds. He rubbed his belly happily. "I want to eat more of this world's food! It's just as good as light!"

"You eat light?!"

"Yeah, of course. So, do you have some more of this food?"

It seemed there was no use talking to him until he had satisfied his hunger. Lucy pondered her possibilities.

"How about I get us some take away ramen? And…" Her lips twitched in amusement. "…maybe some clothes that actually fit."

She stood back up and moved to her closet. After some digging, she found an oversized t-shirt with a big comic print of a blue cat on it.

"In the meantime, this one should work. I mean, it's certainly better than the last. But you probably should shower first. Definitely."

Smiling, she handed it to Natsu, but he seemed deep in thought all of a sudden.

"I have to find a way back to Fiore."

She tried to ignore the sudden pang of disappointment. If he left, what would she do? Things would go back to normal, only without the comforting certainty of her dreamworld - and his company. She did not want that.

"Fiore… is that your home?"

He nodded enthusiastically. "It's awesome! You'll love it!"

"M-me? What do you mean? What about me?"

"You'll come with me, of course!"

"W-what?" Her eyes widened.

"You wanted to run away from home, right? Come with me, then!"

She was not even sure if what he was talking about was possible, but in that moment it seemed like the best idea she had ever heard. It seemed so _right_. Her eyes lit up at the mere thought of leaving home, of venturing into new worlds and spending more time with the boy that had turned her whole world upside down. She was beaming at him, but then a thought crossed her mind.

"But how?"

Natsu shrugged. "I have no idea."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"So, why were you abusing my room as a gym anyway?"

He flexed his muscles as a big grin spread across his face.

"I need to train a lot now to get back to my old strength! It's been a while since I've beaten one of them up."

Lucy paled. "You mean… they'll come after us? They'll come _here_?"

He nodded.

"If I could find a way, then they'll sure as hell find a way too. They're definitely coming."


	4. Chapter 4 - Only Human

It was the fourth day in a row that Lucy left school with a smile.

It still hurt, of course, when she saw Lisanna's empty desk, or unconsciously turned around to tell her something funny, but at least now she had something to look forward to when the bell rang.

The last days had gone by in a rush.

Before she had bought the take-away-ramen (which quickly claimed number 'at least 1' of Natsu's ever-growing list of delicious earth-food) on that fateful Saturday, she had slipped into a clothing store not too far from her home. Now Natsu was in possession of a pair of grey sweatpants aswell as two t-shirts, one black and one white - and both men's wear.

He had taken a real liking to the cat-shirt though. Only when Lucy had demanded he must take it off because it had to be washed did he change into one of his new ones. He had even given the cat a nickname: Happy Junior. A strange name, but somehow very Natsu. So most of the time he only wore his beloved shirt and the sweatpants. It made him look so… normal. So human.

She wondered how she was supposed to get his clothes washed without raising suspicion, but more so she worried about the coming day. Every Friday morning, the whole house was cleaned, and she was pretty sure Spetto would suffer a heartattack if she found a boy hiding out in her room. But how could she hide him elsewhere? She'd probably have to try to smuggle him out of the house somehow. Maybe she could rent him a room in a hostel? The thought of what he might do in a world which he was not accustomed to at all made her shudder, especially since she had learned how rash and impulsive he could be at times. Most of the time. He'd probably go around in his catshirt and tell everybody he was a fairy, while innocently stealing food from supermarkets. She grinned to herself.

"Suzuki Lucy."

Lucy slowly stopped in her tracks. For a moment, she considered just walking on, but then she reluctantly turned around.

"All alone, huh? Can't your father change something about that? Well, I suppose money can't buy friends."

When the girl did not receive an answer, she went on.

"Ah, wait, he's not even your _real_ father, eh. He picked you. Well, aren't you a lucky girl. Lucky Lucy." She drawled out the last words.

"Leave me alone."

"Ok, ok. I'll do what the princess wants." She walked towards Lucy now, her skirt blowing in the wind. Her fringe was slightly too long, and she had to keep strands of brown hair from covering her eyes every few seconds. There was enough place on the broad sidewalk, but she passed right by, brushing her arm against Lucy's. Then, sweet as sugar:

"See you tomorrow."

The rest of the way home, Lucy walked quickly, not paying much attention to the world busily going on around her.

Most people in the school simply avoided her. It wasn't that they didn't like her; they never even tried to get to know her. It was because of her father, of course, his wealth and resulting reputation, that most people forwent her.

And then there was Michiko. For some reason, she always had it on for Lucy. She had left her alone after what happened to Lisanna, but apparently, reprieve was over. Lucy scowled.

Then again, she didn't know much about her. Maybe she had a really shitty life and just wanted to take it out on someone? Of course, that didn't justify her behaviour. Somehow, Lucy couldn't hate her no matter how hard she tried. Sometimes she felt like it was a weakness of hers, but then and again she felt it was a strength. She didn't want to hate anybody, really.

By the time the traffic light turned green, her thoughts had already wandered off to different places.

She wondered what Fiore might be like. They had talked about it, of course. Lucy soaked up every tidbit he threw her way like a sponge would soak up water, but her thirst was still not satisfied.

She had told him about her world, about a home with no love and about Lisanna, and he had told her of an endless war between light and dark, a struggle with neither beginning nor end, of floating islands and cities made of light and colour.

But most of the time they talked about unimportant, small things that suddenly became not so unimportant and small at all. Natsu could do that, somehow. He had this talent of turning even the dullest of topics into an adventure.

And then there was video games.

In a desperate attempt to keep him quiet, she had remembered her old Nintendo64 and had unpacked it for him. As a kid she had loved to play, but had unintentionally abandoned it when growing up. And now Natsu got her hooked again - and was even more hooked himself.

He was a fast learner, it seemed, because he had picked it up quickly. And to her great shame, she had to admit that he was already better than she had ever been.

She turned into the street leading up the hill. The sun shone down mercilessly, its heat only slightly lessened by the small breeze. Soon, beads of sweat clung to her skin. From where she was, she could see the house, and even the window to her room.

The first night after Natsu had woken in her bed, Lucy had been scared of going to sleep. Scared of what might lurk in the darkness now that there was no one to keep her company.

After she had voiced her fears to Natsu, he had gotten contemplative for about a minute. Lucy had kept watching him tautly until he finally spoke.

"I don't think you'll be dreaming about that place again. It probably doesn't exist anymore. They build new ones for every one of us they take. And now that this one has no use anymore they should have destroyed it already. At least that's what I've been told."

Then he grinned his trademark grin.

"And even if you do, I'll be right here to wake you up and protect you!"

Still, she had went to bed with an unpleasant feeling in her stomach. The fact that he was already sleeping like a stone on his little make-shift camp on the ground didn't do much to calm her.

But Natsu was proven correct, and soon Lucy had all but ousted the threat that seemed so out of reach; so far away and otherworldly.

After fishing her keys out of her pocket, she turned them in the lock and stepped through the entrance door.

As usual, she walked straight into the living room. It smelled delicious, of fried onions, meat and something else she could not quite classify. Spetto only visited once a week, but their cook, Aed, prepared their meals every day. She could hear pans moving in the kitchen as she made her way across the room.

"Welcome home, Miss."

"Hi, Aed!"

"Lucy… did you eat all the sausages again?" An elderly man had appeared in the doorway to the kitchen.

"I, uh, yeah. Sorry. I got really hungry yesterday evening."

Damn that Natsu. That was the second time. Why couldn't he do as he was told? At least he didn't let himself get caught. A little disgruntled , she put her schoolbag down on one of the chairs surrounding the living room table, to be left there until it was time to do her homework.

"Well, I'm glad you have so much appetite lately, but next time maybe leave one, ok?"

Aed smiled at her, and she winked.

"Ok. I'll be upstairs for a bit."

Oh she would give him a piece of her mind. Taking two steps at a time as she marched up the stairs, Lucy was already kicking him against the wall in her fantasy.

She was halfway through the corridor when she slowed down. It seemed longer than usual. Probably because one of the lights wasn't working. There were no windows in this part of the house, and it always was a little gloomy.

Somehow, it made her feel uncomfortable. Had it always been this dark here?

She looked over her shoulder and noticed that behind her, the corridor seemed to swallow the light of the lamp dangling from the ceiling.

Suddenly, fear gripped her. It was irrational and deep-seated, taking over every shred of reason she was trying to hold on to.

Before she knew it, she was running. Waves of panic came crashing over her. If she could only reach the door, she felt like she would be safe. A childlike thought, probably, but she clung to it with all her might.

And then she collided with someone; her face against a hard chest.

Not Natsu. _Not Natsu_. If she had felt panic before, then she didn't know what this was. Her mind was screaming at her now; get away get away _get away_, but when she tried to pull back she found that strong hands were digging into her shoulders mercilessly, preventing her from leaving the spot she was standing on.

She clenched her teeth to keep them from shaking, and then reluctantly looked up. Only to wish she hadn't.

Dark, hollow eyes gouged into hers, and she felt like a deer in the headlights of a car. She wanted to move, to scream, to run - but she was frozen; petrified. She felt cold.

The man in front of her opened his mouth. His dark hair fell into his pale face, covering half of it whole. Faintly, she noticed he was wearing it in a ponytail, and that some kind of tattoo was etched into the skin just across his left eye.

"Natsu Dragneel."

For a moment, her eyes widened, but she shook her head, keeping her lips pressed together firmly. Of course they were after him. Now her mind was slowly beginning to reclaim its thoughts, pulling them out of the deep pit they had fallen into. Soon, it started racing.

They knew he was here, and her reaction had probably given away that she knew too. Shit. Still, maybe she could buy him some time. Had he noticed? Would he run?

When she didn't answer, the man gripped her more tightly. Lucy winced.

"W-who are you?"

"Where is Natsu Dragneel?"

"Let me go!"

Funny. She hadn't even known his last name until now. For some reason, the thought made her laugh. And that made the man very, very angry. He slammed her against the wall and raised his right hand, ready to bring it down on her.

But before it could reach her, a flash of blinding light made her lose all orientation. It was as if she had looked straight into the sun, and even after she had blinked a few times, bright blurs were still obstructing her vision.

She was still leaning against the wall, shaking and wheezing, when she finally recognized the corridor she was standing in. Frantically, she looked around - and found Natsu. With a shaky breath, she let go of the tension inside her.

"Natsu!"

"Lucy! Are you okay?"

"Y-yes, but… that guy! He still has to be here somewhere! What ha- did you do that? That light?"

Natsu nodded.

"Don't worry, he's gone. For now." He looked at his hands in wonder. "I wasn't even aware that there's magic in this world. It's very faint, but I can use it a little. It's not enough though." He looked back up at her.

"We have to leave."

"What?! Now? Just like that? I haven't even packed any-"

"I don't know when, but they'll be back, now that they know where we are. And as much as I'd love to beat the living daylight into every single one that comes our way…" He grimaced. "I don't have enough magic power here."

"O-okay. But let me at least grab a few things!"

"Yeah, yeah. We should have _some_ time." He stretched his arms above his head lazily. "But don't blame me when they _get you_."

"Eek!"

He had lunged forward and she had squealed in surprise. Now he was laughing, and she just glared at him before stomping to her room.

Ignoring the glimmering TV, she went straight for her desk, where she kept her piggy bank. That Natsu. Scaring her like that - how dare he. She would repay him for this. Maybe she would hide his shoes? Wait, he didn't even have any. Even better - that served him right. She chuckled evilly.

"Hey, listen!"

For a moment her heart stopped upon hearing the unfamiliar voice, but then she realized it came from the screen. She exhaled relievedly.

Natsu had stepped into the room, and was now laughing at her again. Then his eyes found the game console, and he eyed the controller yearnfully.

"And I was so close to getting into that stupid water temple…"

Slowly, he inched closer to the TV.

"Don't even think about it."

He froze instantly. Damn, Lucy could be scary sometimes. He had defied years of darkness, but this right here was an altogether different kind of fear.

When he looked back at her, his jaw dropped.

"Whaaa- are you gonna take all that?!" Apparently, she had tried to squeeze every last one of her belongings into the backpack on her shoulders - or so it looked like to him. It was full, to say the least.

"Well, a girl needs her… things. I have to maintain my cuteness! How am I going to put my sex appeal to use otherwise?"

"Your… what."

"Hey!"

"I just mean, you don't-"

"I don't even want to hear it! Anyways, let's go! I have no desire to meet that guy again anytime soon."

She swung her arms determinedly as she walked past him, and he followed suit, wondering why she was so weird - and why he liked it so much.

They were almost at the stairs when she suddenly stopped.

"My key!" Lucy spun around and started dashing back into her room.

"We won't be coming back, you don't need it!"

"No…" She dropped to her knees beside her bedside table and pulled open the lowest drawer. "Not that."

Natsu had followed her and was now watching in confusion while she dug through an abundance of odds and ends. Her hand was already halfway swallowed by the drawer when she finally pulled it back, clutching a golden key. It seemed ancient.

Lucy jumped back up and and crossed the room. She wanted to push past Natsu already, but now his curiosity had been awakened.

"What's that?"

"It's mine." She paused. "It's the only thing I had on me when they found me as a baby. That and my name stitched into the blanket."

He eyed the key more closely. There was a engravure on it, finely honed and noble, definitely made by someone who knew his craft. A lion.

"Weird. It seems kinda familiar." But then, he shrugged and grabbed her wrist. "Come on now!"

She hoped she had only imagined the excitement in his tone, because this most certainly was not a situation to feel enthusiastic about. Except for him it was, apparently. When they sprinted down the stairs, she was sure she hadn't heard wrong. He was _chuckling_.

"Lucy, is that you? Is something wrong?"

_Shit._ "Sorry, I forgot something, I gotta go, bye!" she called out breathlessly, and then they were at the front door.

When Aed turned the corner, he only saw the door fall in the lock. He shook his head. "Young people…"

A little later, much further down the hill, two teenagers were gasping for breath.

"My back hurts already!" Lucy complained.

"Shouldn't have packed your whole room, then."

"Tz. What will we do now? I have some money, should we look for a place to stay the night? But, Aed, my father… they will worry if I don't come back. What are we supposed to do?! What was I thinking?"

He didn't seem to care much about her distress. In fact, he was already gone.

"Natsu, wait!"

She caught him around the corner, where he was looking around in confusion.

"Lucy, which way?"

"Which way?! We don't even have a destination!"

Suddenly, he was pressing her against the wall, hand on her mouth. First, she wanted to protest, but when she saw the look in his eyes she fell silent.

Slowly, they turned their heads to where they had come from. Someone walked past the entrance to the alley they were standing in. You could only see a silhouette, but from the shudder that travelled down her spine she knew it was no ordinary passerby. When even the last bit of his ponytail had disappeared around the next corner, they exchanged a serious look and hurriedly, but as quietly as possible, continued down the alley. When they reached its end, they started sprinting.

Their race found a quick end when they encountered a red traffic light. Lucy pulled her companion back just in time. He looked at the passing cars with disdain.

"Whatever these things are, I sure never wanna ride one." He clutched his stomach, as if the idea alone made him sick.

"Ssh!" Lucy hissed and looked around nervously. She didn't want to attract any unnecessary attention. "They're cars. Natsu…that man right now, he was the same as before, right?"

He nodded grimly. "His name is Rogue. He must be able to track us somehow. Damn, I'd really like to beat some sense into him."

"Some sense?"

"He used to be færy, you know." Anger was clouding his face now. She noticed how his hand was trembling, and for a moment she considered taking it into hers.

"What? But how-"

But people started walking as the traffic light turned green, and Natsu dashed right through them, pulling her along.

"I'll tell you another time!"

He was right. She had better things to do right now than to take history lessons. Surviving, for one. Now she started seeing threats everywhere. Every strand of dark hair, every pale face in the crowd, every person looking their direction sent shivers down her spine, and she clutched Natsu's hand tightly. They had to get away from the busy streets.

"Natsu, turn right!"

The clasps of her backpack dug deep into her shoulders, but now she barely noticed. Adrenaline had set her whole body ablaze, and she could only set one foot in front of the other, running as if her life depended on it. It probably did. She had never felt so free.

After they had left behind the last crossing, they could make out a park a few blocks away, and soon the cool shade of tall trees was covering them. Their tops rustled in the wind, and the air was refreshingly clear, less polluted by smoke than the inner city. Lucy dropped her backpack onto the ground and took in deep breaths to calm her aching chest. Even Natsu had his hands on his knees and stayed slightly bent over for a moment.

Not too far away, they could hear children's laughter; innocent and free as it sounded through the midday air.

But the trees and little bushes around them gave off a sense of security, shielding them from curious eyes.

Both their chests were still heaving, but they could not take the luxury of relaxing.

Natsu stood back upright.

"We can't keep running forever. We have to get back to Fiore or the fear dearc will find us everywhere. Not that I would mind."

He smirked, and cracked his knuckles.

"I'm all fired up now!"

"You want to fight him?! But you said…"

"Pah! He's no match for me even now! And besides, I have you!"

He seemed to remember something important all of a sudden, because his face lit up like a child's on Christmas day. He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook.

"Lucy! You! Ha!"

"W-wh-whaa-Natsu! Stop it!"

He obeyed, but he was still grinning like a madman.

"Lucy, you also have magic, don't you?"

"Me? No, I'm-"

"Come on, try! You saved me back there!"

He didn't look like he would accept no as an answer. He looked like it would break his heart if she refused his great idea. So despite herself, and despite knowing better, she found herself agreeing.

Her lips turned into a thin line as she tensed every muscle in her body, focusing her thoughts only on light. She could see it in her mind's eye. Light, light, light.

"You look like you have constipation problems."

"Hey, I'm trying, ok?"

"Well, it's not really worki- hey."

While she had been concentrating, he had felt little sparks of magic bouncing off of her - but barely enough to even light a candle. It had confirmed his initial fears: even if they both had magic powers, in this world they were so weak that they most likely wouldn't be enough to transport either of them anywhere. But right now, when she had been shouting at him, he had seen something glow. From behind her?

He reached forward and, ignoring her protests, produced the key out of the backpocket of her jeans. It was shining brightly, like it was a source of light itself.

"Natsu, I said hands o- woah, what's happpening?!"

"That's no ordinary key. That's magic! Lucy, I don't care where you got it from, but you have to use it! It's yours, so you can do it!"

"B-but I'm - I'm only human!"

"I saw you use magic before!"

"Yeah, but in my _dream_!"

"It wasn't a dream! Come on, you have to try! I know you can do it."

She looked down at the key Natsu had placed into her hands excitedly.

With a deep breath, she clutched it tighter and closed her eyes.

It was dark behind her eyelids. Not as dark as it had been _there_, though. She focused on her memories, on her dreams. She remembered how she, too, had been made of light: weaker than Natsu's, but still faintly glowing. She had felt lighter, somehow, and warm. She remembered how she had felt when he had kissed her; how her power had been drawn out of her. She had felt it then: magic. Her lips slightly parted as she concentrated on the feeling, brows furrowing. She had not thought anything back then, she had just felt. So she let go, and let herself be swept away by waves of… something. _Don't concentrate on it._ And it worked - she could feel it now.

But when she opened her eyes, nothing had changed. Disappointment hit her like a wall of bricks. It shouldn't surprise her, but still, she felt disheartened. For a moment she had really believed she could do it; it had felt so real. She was no færy after all.

But then why was Natsu looking at her in absolute awe?

An incredulous grin had spread across his face, while she just stood there completely crestfallen. He had to point his finger for her to finally turn around. But when she did, she held her breath.

Beads of light were hovering in midair, spinning threads that formed beautiful, delicate patterns. They were moving in circles, coming together to form one big, round ball of light. It shone brightest in the middle, but somehow it didn't blind her eyes. She felt herself drawn towards it, like there was a magnetic pull emanating from its very essence. When she squinted her eyes, she thought she could see shapes on the other side. It was a gate.

She had done this? Surprised, she looked down at her hands - only to realize that they, too, were glowing now. She lifted her arms and saw that it was not just her hands. Every fiber of her being was on fire. Lucy couldn't help it then: she started laughing.

"I did it!"

Tears welled up in her eyes, but she didn't care. They were happy tears.

"Alright! Let's go!"

They beamed at each other as Natsu, too, gathered his magic and started glowing, and then he was pulling her along towards the shining light. The last thing you could hear was their loud, carefree laughter, and then the gate slowly started fading away.

Later that day, a little boy would excitedly tell his mother that he had seen two faeries in the park today, but she would just laugh and proudly tell her friends about her child's vivid imagination.


	5. Chapter 5 - a world of light and colour

The first thing she thought was that something wasn't right with her mouth. However, before she could feel into the matter any further, someone grabbed her by the shoulders. Her eyes felt heavy, and she had to blink a few times before her senses started to work.

It was Natsu, leaning over her. Or someone who looked exactly like Natsu, except this person was glowing.

"N-natsu?"

"We did it!"

He beamed at her, revealing sharp canines that most certainly had not been there moments before. Oh. Now she realized what had felt different about her own mouth. She let her tongue glide over the upper row of her teeth, and indeed, pointy edges dug into the sensitive muscle. Her eyes grew wide.

"Lucy, what are you doing? Your face looks really weird."

She stopped her movements to let her gaze roam over his face yet again. He slightly craned his neck, and then pulled her into a sitting position. Something like worry shone in his eyes for a moment.

"You sure you're okay?"

It still surprised her that he looked like he had in her world; his face, his eyes shining with an everpresent amazement, even the clothes - all was the same, but he was _shining_, as if someone had lit a candle from the inside. Not only his skin, but everything: even his rosy hair, messy as ever. She saw his ears peeking through the unruly curls. Wait. They were different too. They were all pointy. Her hands flew to her own ears, and she squeaked.

"Y-you look different!" was all she managed.

"Uh, well, yeah? You saw it before, when we met for the first time."

"But, then you were all _light_! Now you're in colour?! You look like you did in _my_ world."

"Oooh." Realization dawned on his face, and he shrugged nonchalantly. "That's just 'cause I was in my battle form."

"Y-your what."

"Well-"

He interrupted himself, and his ears twitched. Lucy watched his concentrated face in confusion, but then her own ears picked up what must have made him falter. Footsteps, coming closer.

"Looks like we're getting company."

Impulsively, Lucy looked around, and only now did she take in the world around her. Her jaw dropped.

It was unlike anything she had ever seen.

Like with Natsu's body, there was no black and white anymore: only colours abound. The whole landscape blinked and blazed before her as it stretched out to the horizon.

But what caught her attention first and foremost were the islands hovering in the sky, as if someone had ripped out parts of the ground and placed them in midair. There were many, and they came in different shapes and sizes. Just like everything else, they seemed to shine from the inside out, as if a small sun was sitting at their core.

Beneath, waves of rolling green hills stretched out endlessly, all wild grasslands and occasional forests. It didn't look all too different from the world she had left behind, Lucy mused, only that there probably would be fields instead of untamed flora. This sort of primal, seemingly untouched wilderness fascinated her and pulled her in.

When she turned her head to her left, she caught sight of a bright glow in the distance, and when she squinted she could make out white buildings behind the drawn-out hill that obstructed more of her view. A city?

The footsteps were close now, numerous boots trampling on the ground, but she couldn't bring herself to tear her gaze away from the scenery. This world was beautiful, and bright, and her heart could feel nothing of the fear she had experienced in the endless darkness that was hiding out somewhere in its corners, out of sight and far away. This was his world, and she knew no harm would come to her.

"You're surrounded, intruders. Don't move!"

But Natsu got up, a bright grin covering his whole face and showing off his pointy canines.

"Natsu Dragneel, Commander of the 7th Fairy Tail Squad – and your higher up. Now take me to your leader."

Commander? Lucy's jaw dropped.

She watched as the row of people parted to make way for someone. But she was too distracted by the two faeries closest to her to pay much attention to the small figure approaching. They were staring at her. It almost made her uncomfortable, had they not looked like what she imagined the greek gods must have looked like. One of them, with maroon hair and a young appearance, extended a hand towards her.

Were all faeries strikingly beautiful? It seemed so.

"Can I be your younger brother?"

_What?_ She stared at him in disbelief, unsure of how to respond. Was this some kind of weird greeting?

Apparently not, because Natsu groaned. "Oh no, why did it have to be _them_?" he murmured under his breath, and then whispered into her ear: "Don't mind them, they're always like that. Just wait till you see-"

"Ah, it is Natsu Dragneel! What a glorious surprise! But what is this lovely perfume I smell?"

Finally, Lucy turned her head to look at the person who had stepped forward to greet them. She shivered when the small man's eyes glued themselves to her body. That was also a faery? Immediately, she retracted her earlier thought. There most definitely and obviously were faeries that came nowhere near the definition of beauty.

Not only was he small and cloddish, but he had a weird double chin, stubble that seemed out of place on his unattractive yet groomed face, and a wild mane of orange tinted hair on his head. And he was _sparkling_.

His eyes were still fixed on her, and manners urged her to get up and face him. A little unsure of herself, but determined to withstand the creeping feeling that slithered down her back, she opened her mouth.

"Hello, I'm Lucy."

"Such a pretty name. I haven't seen such beauty ever since the last time I laid eyes on Fairy Tail's Titania." Almost reluctantly, he tore his gaze away from her. "Still, Natsu, I must ask: How are you here? We led such a longsome search after your disappearance, but that was such a long time ago. _How _did you… escape? I have never heard such thing except in the olden legends."

"It's a long story." Natsu didn't seem all too eager to explain any details. "I wouldn't have made it without Lucy though!" He gesticulated towards the girl at his side, and his grin crept back onto his face.

"Listen, Ichiya, we're in a hurry. We need to get back to Magnolia."

The little faery nodded pensively.

"I understand. Very well, I shall excuse you for now. I will inform the headquarters of your safe return."

A single tear rolled down his cheek. His bearing would have been touching, but something about him made the sentiment impossible. He struck a pose, and Lucy suddenly remembered what it was. He made her _uncomfortable_.

"And to you… good luck, my honey."

"Uh… thanks."

Before he could reach out to touch her thigh, Natsu was pulling her along, laughing.

"See ya, guys!"

Lucy couldn't help but feel elated as they ran along the small path. Her body felt lighter, somehow.

"Thanks for the rescue." she chuckled.

He still had his hand tightly wrapped around hers and showed no signs of releasing it anytime soon. The weird kind of warmth she so often felt whenever she was with him spread through her yet again. It never failed to lift her spirits and make her insides tingle. She wondered if the blush on her cheeks glowed as brightly as his hair.

"Come on, Lucy! You're so slow! You'll really have to train a lot!"

Ignoring her offended rambling, he dashed on happily, pulling her along, deeper and deeper into his world.

Was she imagining things or did it get brighter and brighter the closer they came to the city?

It might just be all the limewashed houses. As they reached the outskirts of town, Natsu slowed down, much to a wheezing Lucy's joy. They were still high up on the hill, but over its peak, so now she could see the whole city stretching out before her. It was splendid in all the senses of the word.

Only now did she realize that there was no sun in the sky. Everything around them seemed to emit its own light that shone forth and bathed everything in a bright glow. And the city in front of her was nothing short of radiant. As bright as it was, it did not hurt her eyes.

"Wow! This is beautiful..."

Upon not receiving a response or any kind of reaction, she turned around and found her friend - once again - gone.

"Natsu? Ugh, why does he always do this?"

Clattering noises from a nearby hut attracted her attention. She had not paid much attention to it before. It looked as if it had been abandoned for a long time.

Natsu apparently had circled it once entirely, because he emerged from behind and waved when he caught sight of her.

"What are you waiting around for?"

"Eh? Aren't _you _the one who's waiting around? I thought we were going to the, uh, headquarters?"

"Nah. We'll go to Fairy Tail soon enough, but first I gotta introduce you to my friend! This is my home, after all, so come on in!"

"Whaaat? This is your _home_?!"

Lucy's chin dropped. And... someone was apparently still living in there? She couldn't believe it despite his words. It looked like it might fall apart any second.

Still, she had no choice but to enter.


	6. Chapter 6 - Happy Occurences

Chapter 6 at your service!

Thankyou for all the reviews and likes so far:) They feed my soul, hehe.

(I read over it again and noticed that I'd left some occasional gaps, but that's fixed now!)

Also, on my profile you can find art for this Chapter by my friend Nadhia!

* * *

><p>Dust lingered on the whole interior like a cover of snow on a winter landscape. A lot of dust. When Natsu stepped into the room behind her with his usual stomping gait, a chair collapsed.<p>

"Happy?"

Happy? Lucy's eyes dropped to the t-shirt he still wore. Happy Junior was what he had called the comic cat. Which meant… Of course. Why had this not occurred to her earlier?

Nothing happened.

"Happy…is he your pet?"

"Yeah! He's my cat. And my best friend."

Eh? A cat as a best friend. Why wasn't she even surprised?

"Happy? Buddy?"

"Uh, Natsu, I don't think he's here? I mean, we don't know how long you've been gone, but… it looks like it's been a long time."

He faltered.

"Guess you're right. But then, where is he? Oh, I know! They must've taken him to the stables!"

The sparkle was back in his eyes faster than she could blink.

After yet another sprint, downhill this time, they reached the outskirts of the big city and finally slowed down their pace.

"The stables are just around that corner! Boy, I can't wait to see Happy!"

His joy was infectious, and she found herself grinning back at him even though she felt like she might collapse any second now. Really, how could he be such a powerhouse? She'd love some of his energy. An image of when she had shared her own with him flashed through her mind, and she blushed involuntarily. Maybe not.

When he pushed open the wooden double door with both his hands, Lucy's heart began pumping with excitement. All these new impressions were still making her head spin, but at the same time, they carried her on a high that she just couldn't seem to come down from anymore.

The creaking sound stopped as soon as her let the wings of the door swing closed behind the two of them. It seemed they had stumbled in at a convenient time of day. It was quiet. Dust lingered in the air and moved in the light, glowing like fireflies caught up in an carefree dance. With a deep inhale, Lucy noted the heavy, but congenial smell of fur and straw that only stables could generate.

Behind the closed doors, she could hear slight stirring and sporadic yawns.

The assumption had come to her naturally, but suddenly she found herself wondering: Were these horses?

"Happy!"

His shout echoed through the barn, and now disquiet spread. Heavy stampers made her flinch, and the sound of something scratching against the wood from behind the door next to her caused her to grab Natsu's arm. Her instincts were screaming danger. Then suddenly, a roar reverbrated through the stable, so loud and daunting that her blood curdled.

Definitely not horses.

Before the sound even had a chance to die down, Natsu sprinted towards its source, leaving Lucy to follow behind nervously. The scattered halms of straw on the ground raised even more dust when he passed through in a flurry. He reached the large door long before her and ripped it open gleefully. Then he disappeared behind it. The ground vibrated as something massive hit it, and afterwards all she could hear was loud purring and Natsu's joyful laughter.

Curiosity got the best of her, and she forgot all about her initial anxiety. There was no need to be scared of Natsu's friends after all, right? Whatever was in there, it seemed to be friendly. Maybe Happy the cat was inside too?

She rounded the open door, to find herself facing Natsu – and, finally, his best friend. For the umpteenth time in a week, her jaw dropped low.

Cat. A _cat_. Way to make an understatement.

The ferocious beast in front of her could only be described as a cat if you were very generous with the definition of what a 'normal' cat was supposed to look like. For all intents and purposes, the animal that was staring at her possessed all the usual attributes a cat did. Whiskers, perky ears, a tail, even the kind of intense eyes that seemed to be able to stare into your very soul.

But it was hummongous. And blue.

And Natsu was lying on its tummy.

Now, with a curious look on its face, it let him drop to the ground as it raised itself onto its hinges. Lucy swallowed as she looked up. It was the size of a rhino at least. Setting one paw in front of the other carefully, it approached her, nose twitching as it tested her scent. Had it not been for Natsu's reassuring grin, she'd have turned and run for her life.

"Happy, that's Lucy!"

Gracefully, the creature stalked towards her until it stood face to face with the newcomer. She noticed how his left ear was ripped from what looked like scratchmarks. Happy's tail rose. Was that a good thing? She sure hoped. He sniffed. Through his parted muzzle, she could see a row of sharp teeth. Lucy had never stood more still in her entire life. For a moment, nothing happened, and silence filled the chamber. Faintly, conscious thought knocked at the back of her mind, demanding entrance. She let it, and the first thing that came to mind was: _cute_. Happy was terrifying, formidable and most definitely cute.

"Uh…hi Happy?"

In the dark golden pools that were his eyes, something stirred, and if she had not been sure that cats were unable to smile, she would have thought that that was exactly what he was doing.

_Hi Lucy._

"Kya!"

Happy had pounced forward and now rubbed his head against her shoulder with a content purr as she lay beneath him, but that was not the source of her discomfort. She had just heard a voice. In her head. And it had not been her own.

"What was that?"

"What was what?"

Natsu stared at her in oblivion. She was about to reprimand him for playing tricks on him, but then she heard it again.

_It was me!_

With big eyes, she turned towards the cat still looming over her. With a shaky hand, she pointed up at him, and he blinked at her reassuringly.

"You can talk?!"

"Oh! He sure can! But only to one person at a time."

_True!_

Lucy's head was spinning. It was a good thing she was already on the ground, or she might have fallen hard. Still gaping at both Natsu and Happy in turns, she tried to wrap her mind around this new information.

"So…telepathy? Also, did he live_ in your house_ with you?"

"I guess? If that's what you call it. And yeah, of course! He makes a great pillow by the way."

_Aye, Sir!_

Happy had trudged back over to his owner, who petted him lovingly.

"Are cats like this a normal pet over here?"

Natsu blinked up at her, only interrupting his tummy rub for a second. Then one of Happy's big paws slapped him on the head, and he continued grumpily.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"He was saying I've been gone a long time."

"Oh. Right." Well this would need some getting used to. Everything here would need some getting used to.

She was about to continue her interrogation on a quest for answers, but they heard the doors to the stable creak open once again. Happy perked his ears.

"Huh? Who the hell left the doors to Happy's stall open?"

The voice that mumbled to itself was deep and masculine. And rather gruff. The sound of heavy footsteps filled the air as the man came closer, and Lucy shot a questioning look at Natsu. The message was obvious: Do you know this guy?

By the smirk on Natsu's face, he did. His eyes locked with Lucy's, and then he pressed a finger to his mouth before diving behind Happy. Was he hiding?

Lucy whirled around when she felt a looming presence behind her. She found herself staring into deep black eyes.

"What the hell."

She paled, frantically thinking of something to say.

"I ain't never seen you here before."

"Uh, that's, I- Well, you see…uh." Her wit was not at its peak today, she realized as a sinking feeling settled in her stomach. The look which the man clad in black bestowed upon her did nothing to ease her spirits.

"Who are ya?!"

"I'm-" Well, at least this was something she could answer. "I'm Lu-"

"Boo!"

"What the _fu- Natsu_?!"

The pink haired – and apparently entirely crazy – boy had hauled himself at the tall man with a loud cry. And had been greeted by a fist to the face. Now he was lying on the ground, rubbing his cheek as he came back up with a bright grin etched into his face.

"Damn… I really _did_ get slow, huh?"

The aghast look on his friend's face made the grin around his lips die down.

"I'll tell you everything later, Gajeel. I have to talk with Gramps too."

"I can't believe you're actually back."

For a second, something like heartfelt emotion flashed in his eyes, but it was gone faster than Lucy could blink.

"Well." He shrugged. "Not like I care. But you probably really should head to the headquarter. I'd go with ya, but I got important business here."

"Don't tell me you actually tamed yourself an Exceed."

"Shut up, will ya!"

"So you did. Congrats, Gajeel!"

The glee in his voice was real, but Lucy knew him well enough by now to detect the hidden side blow, albeit being clueless as to what exactly it was.

"A lot has changed since you disappeared, Salamander. You've been gone for almost friggin' 50 years, after all. And who's this bunny girl you brought? You better explain this to all of us soon!"

For a moment, Lucy thought of protesting against the rude man's nickname, but when the room remained quiet after his voice had died down, she turned her head towards Natsu in surprise. She wondered why he had not reacted, and if he would. But his expression remained unreadable.

_Natsu seems sad._

"Yeah." she mumbled.

When her voice reached him, he returned her look. A smile was back on his lips, but his eyes seemed distant, as if he was preoccupied with something only he knew. She wondered if she should ask him about it, but somehow had a feeling that it was wiser to remain silent for now.

"Come on, Lucy, Happy! I'll take you to the Fæiry Tail Headquarters."

Pride shone in his eyes as the name rolled of his lips.

Happy faithfully trotted behind his owner as they left through the big doors once again. Gajeel had spared them only a sideglance before entering into the box from which impatient grunting and purring had sounded since he had entered the barn.

As soon as they were outside, Natsu effortlessly jumped onto Happy's back and held out a hand towards Lucy. Reluctantly, she took it and used her other to grab Happy's fur as she pulled herself upwards without the least amount of grace. His fur was soft.

She had barely swung her leg over his back when he dashed forward gleefully, making his way through the streets and towards what seemed like the middle of the city. Were they headed towards that big building at the very center?

"Are we going to that building over there?"

"That? Oh, no, haha! That's the castle!"

"Ooh."

So there was a king or queen ruling here? Lucy grinned despite herself. She felt like she had been thrown into an actual fairy tale. Happy ran through the streets with an enthusiastic bounce to his pace. From the way people looked at them, she guessed this must not be an unusual occurrence. Now she started relaxing, getting used to the movements of the muscly cat beneath her. She liked the feeling of the wind in her hair as he smoothly passed by houses and shops.

"She is? Hah! I believe that!"

"What? Did Happy say something? About me?"

"Oh, uh, no?" He coughed nervously. "Nothing at all. And if he had, it definitely didn't have_anything_ to do with your weight."

"My weight?!"

_Don't move so much or you'll fall!_

"Ok, ok, cat." she growled, slightly offended. "My weight…tch. Nothing's wrong with my weight."

She continued grumbling under her breath until he came to a sudden standstill and she was slammed against Natsu's hard back. He turned around with a dazzling grin on his face and looked down at her as she peeled herself off him. Despite herself, she felt a blush cover her cheeks. What was she getting so worked up about? She had just accidentally pressed her head between his shoulderblades, no big deal. Was it the way he smelled so deliciously of campfire and bark? An involuntary shudder danced down her spine, and she only snapped out of her musings when she felt his curious eyes burning into her.

"You ready?"

"I guess?"

"Then let's go!"

He swooped her up in his arms before she could protest, and down they slid, until his feet made contact with the ground and he released her. His hand did not leave her wrist though. They turned around to face the massive stone door in front of them. Above, the words Fæiry Tail shone proudly and promising.

"Welcome to Fæairy Tail Headquarters!" Natsu beamed.

Suddenly, Lucy felt nervous. What would await her behind these doors? What _was _Fæiry Tail anyway?

"Uh, Natsu… Færy Tail… what even is it?"

She felt stupid asking the question. There she had been, listening to him blabbering on and on about it, and only now, that she stood at its very threshold, did the question occur to her.

"Well, it's our military branch. You know, there's Færy Tail, Færy Wing, Færy Tooth… you get the gist."

"How creative."

She grinned at him, and he returned it sheepishly.

"So do you wanna meet my friends or not?"

The excitement inside her chest expanded into every fiber of her being, and all she could do was nod. He had swept her up, brought her along into his world, and now he would show her his family. She had never felt so free and euphoric. She had done it - she had gotten out. If only Lis could see her now. She would be so proud.

The doors swung open when Natsu pushed against them, revealing a big hall, full of people and sound and possibilities. He swaggered inside as if he owned the place.

"Yo! I'm back!"

The first people started turning their heads when his voice, so casual yet loud, filled the room, and then suddenly a young blue haired girl shouted his name through the crowd.

"Natsu?!"

Lucy watched as people started surrounding him, until they turned into a big crowd, laughing and cheering at the return of their old friend, and a happy smile spread across her face. In this moment, his happiness was hers, too.

A bit hesitant, she stepped into the hall, waiting at the edge until the initial commotion had died down a little. Inside, it was built entirely of wood. Lots of benches and tables stood without any noticeable array, and at the far end of the room she could spy a bar of some sort. The walls even were high enough for a gallery that lined itself along three walls.

Natsu was immersed in a conversation with two men who had flung their arms around his shoulders. First she thought they were only talking enthusiastically, but soon one of them, the chubby one with the short black ponytail, spilled his mug over the orange haired one, and before she knew it, a whole big brawl had commenced. Her jaw dropped as she stood there, lost, watching Natsu slam a chair over a big guys head. A loud shout of 'Man!' rang through the hall.

She took a step back, as to avoid the empty mug that had almost hit her side. Frantically, she looked for cover, and found it at a table out of the firing line. With a relieved sigh, she slipped onto the bench whose back had faced her direction. She had not expected to brush thighs with anyone here.

"Eep!"

"Oh! Hi! Are you new?"

Big, curious blue eyes pierced into hers, and the petite woman lowered her book onto the table.

"How can you read in a place like this?" was all Lucy managed.

"Oh, this? It's nothing. I don't even notice it." With a friendly smile, she bowed her head in greeting. "I'm Levy. Levy McGarden."

Her smile was infectious, and Lucy felt an instant fondness for the likable young woman in front of her. Or at least that's how she looked. She must be just as old as Natsu, probably. She wasn't entirely sure how færies aged.

"I'm Lucy. Uh. Just Lucy."

"Nice to meet you, just Lucy." the færy called Levy winked at her. "So, it's rather unusual to have newcomers here. From where did you transfer?"

"I, well, I didn't trans- I arrived with Natsu."

"What." Her blue locks whirled around her and smacked her in the face as she turned her head sharply. "What did you say?"

"N-natsu?" Helplessly, she pointed in his general direction, and caught him chasing after a guy with a broom in his hand while Happy bounced around him joyfully.

"Oh my god! Natsu!"

Levy slammed her hands on the table as she jumped up, and the pink haired boy turned in her direction. A big grin spread across his face as he made his way over.

Lucy gaped up at her? Had she really missed all of this? Because she had been reading? She herself knew how absorbing a book could be, but this excelled her imagination. Natsu arrived with open arms, and before the small woman, who now had her hands on her hips and tears in her eyes, could even open her mouth, he had lifted her off the ground and spun her around, laughing.

"I'm back, Levy!"

"Natsu, put me down! Natsu!"

He did as she asked, and she steadied herself on the tabletop before slipping back into her seat, gaping up at him in disbelief.

"But…how?" she whispered. "I saw how they-"

"Tch, nothing I can't handle with a little help from friends! But I'll tell you the details later, I'm not really in the mood. Oh by the way-" A mischievous expression crossed his face. "I met Gajeel in the stables. Looks like he finally caught himself an Exceed, huh? There's not any chance that you had something to do with that?"

Levy puffed her cheeks up at him, a slight blush on her cheeks as she told him: "No, he did that all by himself." Pride shone from her eyes, but suddenly she seemed to remember there were more important matters that should take up her attention.

"Anyway, Lucy said she came with you? Natsu, I need to know _everything_. Please, for once-"

But Natsu's attention had drifted off as soon as he had finally spied the blonde sitting on the bench.

"Ah, Lucy! I see you've met my lieutenant."

The grin he flashed the both of them was bright, and Lucy gaped at the tiny woman at her side in surprise.

"You're his _lieutenant_?"

"Sure am." She grinned proudly, and suddenly Lucy could see it. This cute and kind girl had a fierceness slumbering beneath her innocent appearance. Her eyes were sharp.

"Oh wow! That's amazing!"

"So, you will join our ranks, I assume?"

"Oh, uh, I-"

"Of course she will! Last thing I want is that idiot Gray snatching her! I saw her magic, she's strong!"

Inadvertedly, a blush crept onto Lucy's cheeks. But there were doubts stronger than his warming words. She? Serving in an army? Fighting? A shudder travelled down her spine as she remembered the eerie feeling of the shadow's grip.

"But..I've never fought in my life..I mean.."

"I'll train you! It won't be a problem. Right, master?"

He turned to face a small – _very_ small – færy sitting on a table a few feet away, who had been intently listening to their conversation. Now, he stroked his moustache and sighed.

"Well, one brat more or less makes no difference. As long…" His eyes darkened, and her heart stopped when they pierced through her. "..as you don't destroy all the furniture!"

_What?_ His look was that of a broken man. A man who had seen too much broken furniture in his life. "Uh… I think I can do that."

"Very well. Then it is decided!" Where had the mug in his hand come from? "Listen, brats!"

His voice echoed throughout the big hall, and suddenly everyone turned quiet.

"Let us celebrate the return of Natsu adn welcome a new member among us! Young Lucy here will join Fairy Tail! Let's show her how we welcome our new friends! There shall be a celebration!"

The whole crowd cheered in approval as the old man brought the mug, overflowing with some kind of bright liquid, to his lips. Natsu leaned closer to Lucy, who seemed rather forlorn all of a sudden. It was loud in the hall, the sounds of clanking bottles and laughter already resounding everywhere.

"That guy over there, the one who just spoke, yeah? That's Major Makarov. Though we usually call him 'Master'. Or, in my case, 'gramps'. You'll find that we don't take all these complicated ranks too seriously here. I never really got them anyway." He grinned down at her, a cheeky expression in his eyes. "I have a problem with authority, I was told."

Finally, she chuckled, and started following him as he moved across the busy room and towards what looked like a bar.

"Oh, I would never believe that."

"Hah! Come on, I'll show you how Fairy Tail celebrates its new members! You can meet everyone in the next few days. Have you ever had a good old glass of light?"

"Light? As in…light beer or something?"

"Light what? No, as in _light_. I told ya that's what we live off."

"Oh? So you can drink it? What does it taste like?"

"There's only one way to find out."

He was grinning when he handed her the first mug of what would be many, filled to the brim with a glowing, liquid fluid.

Skeptically, she took a sip – and felt life return into her tired bones as all fatigue fell off her like a thick blanket. It seemed like her body was absorbing every last drop, generating raw energy as it passed through her body. Her eyes grew wide.

"This is…great!"

An exhilarated smile spread across her face, and she could feel heat flush her cheeks.

"Oh dear, be careful. Looks like you're a lightweight."

_No she's not, believe me, I've carried-_

"Shut it cat! I know you're only trying to tease me, cause you were talking to _me_, and you can only- Wait, what do you mean 'be careful'?"

She redirected her attention at Natsu while she took another big sip of the rejuvenating drink she had just discovered tasted like everything she had ever wished for. Her whole face had taken on a deep shade of red.

"I mean-" Natsu said as he tried to swipe the mug out of her hands (he failed), "that we do not just feed off of light, but we can get… well, high on it."

"You mean… like drunk?"

"I guess? Whatever that is."

"It's… _that_." She giggled gleefully. "I've never been drunk before. It's great."

"Oh _Mavis._" Natsu whined as she started to run off, mug in hand. He was about to chase after her, but a pat on the back and the flash of a silver cross on a bare chest redirected his attention.

"Long time no see, Ashbrain."

—-

Lucy awoke with a groan.

Her eyes were still closed, but somehow her room felt different. Had the sun always shone so brightly through the window? Light was gnawing at her eyelids, begging entrance.

Hesitantly, she forced one eye open, but regretted her decision immediately. She shut it right away. It was too bright. Her mind was waking up now, drowning her with information and bringing yesterday's events back to the front of her mind. However, she couldn't delve much deeper, because she felt like someone had dumped a brick on her head. Or a whole wall.

"Hggggrrrngh."

"Hnnnnnghhhhhh." came a response.

Ah, Natsu. Wait, Natsu?! Her eyes jerked open, and she blinked furiously to accommodate to the brightness.

She took in her surroundings. The little chamber, nothing special and quite spartan, looked pretty much like she started to hazily remember it. There on the outworn timber floor board lay the little stool that she had stumbled over after pushing open the door and fixing her concentration entirely on the little bed in the corner. The rosy curtains did nothing to keep the ever-present light out, but at least obstructed anyone's view. Only then did her attention reach her own body. And the one that was pressing against her from behind. With a surprised squeak, she shot upright.

"Natsu?!"

"Mornin'."

He smiled up at her, lazy and still sleepy.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed?!"

In the next moment, her body was pressing against the wall at the top end of the bed as she stemed her feet against his shoulders, ready to push him off the bed. He craned his head and looked up, seeming innocently unaware of the view she had allowed him. It did not go unnoticed by her though.

"Aw but Lucy, I'm used to sleeping close to you by now. Besides- OUCH."

The embarassed scolding that followed woke up every last woman in the female dormitory.


End file.
